Wednesday, 25 June 2008

This evening I am posting an image of a grave-marker from Paisley Abbey, Scotland. This is mainly a Coats family memorial which also records William Niven who date of death and age is not recorded. He was the husband of Agnes Coats Niven.

Sunday, 22 June 2008

This evening I am posting an image from Paisley Abbey. It records the Coats family of Ferguslie. These must have been connected to the famous thread-making Coats but I cannot confirm this at time of writing.

The memorial mentions David Coats, Ferguslie with date 1795. I am not sure if the date is birth or death date.

Thursday, 19 June 2008

This evening I am presenting an image of a tombstone from Paisley Abbey. It records the death of William Simm, a feuer of Williamsburgh, who died Aug 5th 1881. A feuer appears to be a gentleman of substance. Williamsburgh is in/near Paisley.

Monday, 16 June 2008

This evening I am posting an image of a grave-marker from Glasgow's Southern Necropolis.

This is a Weatherly family memorial which includes George Weatherly, father of James, who died at Hagswood March 4th 1870 age 72. I cannot find any reference to a Hagswood in Scotland or England. Can anyone help? There is a Hagwood in Co Durham, England. I also note a high incidence of the Weatherly name in N.E. England.

Friday, 13 June 2008

This evening I am presenting some images from today's Miller Family Genealogical Tour.We collected Steve's family group of four from the Cruise Ship at Greenock and then embarked on our tour of pre-identified places in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire which are connected with descendants of James Lindsay Miller.

Here is Millar Street at Glassford. We came across this by accident en-route to Strathaven. This is how the family name used to be spelled.

This is the centre of Strathaven. A prosperous little town where we had some coffee at the Tudor Tea Rooms.Our first stop was West Dykes Farm, where we met Mrs Stewart, a very friendly and helpful lady who directed us to the nearby Burnfoot Farm.

James Stewart > farms and fisheries in East Kilbride areaWest Dykes Fm, Strathaven, Lanarkshire, ML10 6RHHere is the group at West Dykes Farm with Mrs Stewart second from right.

This is the remains of Burnfoot Farm where William Miller and Jean Cochrane lived when Alexander Miller II was born in 1797. It was occupied until the 1980s but is now a ruin, albeit with a family of owls nesting in a section of the building.

This is the remains of Boghall Farm, where William Miller and Jean Cochrane lived with their children. William III, Jean, Mary, Andrew and Marion were born between 1801 and 1813. Location is N of Loudon Hill.At Boghall we met a friendly farmer, Willie Jardine who showed his sheep, sheepdogs and young pups.

At lunchtime we enjoyed a picnic in sight of Loudon Hill which has many historical connections, including the sites of at least two battles. Apparently, the Romans had a fort there but it was destroyed during quarrying activities.

Meikle Byre Farm where William Miller and Jean Cochrane are known to have lived from 1820 to 1853 based on burial and census records.

Views from Meikle ByreView of Loudon Kirk and graveyard. Millers and Parkers are believed to be buried here.

Tuesday, 10 June 2008

This evening, I am presenting images of a McDougall/McNaughton family grave-marker from Glasgow's Southern Necropolis.

The stone records the death of Donald McDougall, Merchant of Glasgow, his two sons Duncan and William. Also Duncan McNaughton and Duncan McNaughton Jnr. Interestingly, no wives/females feature on the stone.

Thursday, 5 June 2008

This evening I am presenting images of today's research in anticipation of a visit by a Canadian descendant of the above.

This is the Hurlet, now a smart restaurant but was a garage (gas station) up to 1996. This is the nearest I can get to the Hurlet Holm Building at this stage. The fact that it was a garage might imply that it had an industrial use over the years. NB: This might make a suitable refreshment stop during our tour.

As far as I can ascertain ( from talking to locals) Levern Church became derelict and was destroyed by fire over 20 years ago.The site was then flattened and turned into a caravan park (trailer park). The image below is, apparently, where the church stood. One of the caravan residents remembers the church well and acted as best man at a wedding there.

This is the Levern Water close to Barrhead. It provided the power for a large number of local textile mills in the 18th-19th centuries.

This is the nearest I can get to Auchentorlie Place, Paisley. The image shows part of Auchentorlie Quadrant which comprises post WW2 social housing and has been partly cleared. Location is just off Seedhill Road.